


Coming Home

by Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, domestic as fuck, for the great washing machine barisi collection, which is now a thing and is awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 21:50:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17568569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perpetfic/pseuds/Perpetual%20Motion
Summary: Sonny's been undercover for three weeks and two days.





	Coming Home

Rafael's tossing a load of socks and underwear into the washing machine when he hears a key in the lock. He knocks over the laundry basket and rushes down the hall, stopping short next to the kitchen island. Sonny's been undercover for three weeks and two days. Liv had said yesterday he might be back soon, but this timing seems almost too good to be true.

The door opens, and there's Sonny. His hair is frizzy and flyaway. There's a piece of gauze on the back of his right hand. He's wearing NYPD sweats, and he's got three days worth of stubble. He meets Rafael's eyes and gives him an exhausted smile. "Hey," he says.

"Hey," Rafael replies. He takes the last few steps to the door, slams it shut with one hand, and pulls Sonny into a tight hug. "Welcome home." 

Sonny relaxes against him, pressing kisses into Rafael's hair and squeezing him tight. "You doing okay?"

Rafael has learned over time not to scoff and point out that _Sonny's_ the one who should be answering that question, not asking it. It helps Sonny come back to himself to ask, to care like he hasn't been able to while pretending to be someone else. "I'm glad you're home," Rafael says. "I missed you." He lifts his head so he and Sonny can kiss properly. "I didn't do anything exciting while you were gone. Just work and dinner with Rita a couple of times."

"How's she doing?"

"She's good. She sends her best."

"That's nice," Sonny says. He pulls Rafael in close again and tucks his nose into Rafael's hair. "You smell like dryer sheets."

"I've been doing laundry all day."

Sonny hums and kisses Rafael's forehead. "Don't let me interrupt you."

Rafael smiles against Sonny's neck and takes a half-step back. "You wanna open a couple of beers while I finish getting this load in?"

"Sure." Sonny lets go of Rafael slowly, dragging his hands along Rafael's sides and over his arms like he's memorizing him. 

"Have you eaten?" Rafael calls over his shoulder as he walks back down the hall. 

"Got a sandwich at the station. It was terrible."

"I made soup in the Instant Pot last night. There's leftovers in the fridge. Chicken and rice."

Sonny makes an affirming noise, and Rafael listens to the familiar sounds of Sonny in the kitchen. An opened cupboard, the pop of the microwave door. The hiss of the fridge opening. The scrape as Sonny pulls the storage container off the shelf, and the rattle as he pulls two bottles of beer from the fridge door. 

Rafael picks up the scattered socks and underwear and rights the laundry basket. He finishes loading the washer and gets it running. When he turns, Sonny's at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall with a beer in each hand. He's watching Rafael with warm, soft eyes. "You okay?" Rafael asks.

Sonny shrugs and walks to him, handing him his beer. "Good as I can be." He holds up his hand so Rafael can see the gauze pad. "When they served the warrant, one of the guys flipped and grabbed a paring knife. I tried to talk him down."

"How bad is it?" 

"The doc at the ER glued it together and said to give it a few days." Sonny smiles when Rafael takes his hand and kisses the injury. "All better," he says. 

"Good," Rafael says. 

Sonny looks him over, then presses lightly at Rafael's chest. Rafael backs up a step, then another when Sonny pushes again. He bumps the washing machine and laughs. 

"Oh, no, you've got me."

Sonny smiles and leans down to kiss him. "Good."

The kiss is warm and soft and lazy. Rafael can practically feel how exhausted Sonny is in the way he barely licks at Rafael's bottom lip. They won't have sex tonight, and Rafael couldn't care less. Sonny's warm under his hands, and they laugh quietly together when the washing machine switches cycles and they both jump. They jump again when the microwave buzzes, and Rafael gives Sonny one last kiss on the corner of his mouth before pulling away. 

"Let's get you fed," he says. "If you can stay up long enough for me to throw this stuff in the dryer, we can go to bed together."

"I can do that," Sonny replies and follows Rafael back to the kitchen. He curls an arm around Rafael's waist just before he rounds the island. He kisses the back of Rafael's neck, and Rafael can feel every single moment Sonny's missed him in the last three weeks and two days. 

When they go to bed, an hour later and the dryer humming softly through its cycle, Rafael wraps himself around Sonny from behind and kisses between his shoulder blades, knowing Sonny can read his kiss from the way he sighs and reaches down to curl their fingers together. 

"Love you," Rafael murmurs into Sonny's ear.

"Love you, too," Sonny replies. 

They're both asleep a few minutes later, and neither of them wake up when the dryer buzzes.

**Author's Note:**

> For an anon on Curious Cat who said they trusted me to take "Barisi and a washing machine" and write something good. I really hope you like this. It was supposed to be filthy, but then it tricked me.


End file.
